Me Geek, You Geek

In the spirit of the holidays I hesitated posting the review to Daredevil #114.  If you've been reading MGYG, The Other Murdock Papers, or F's Kitchen, you're aware of the debate that's been raging over issue #113.  The debate in which I seem to be standing alone against the tide of my fellow bloggers and DD fans.

The debate, you see, had much to do about the lack of action that's going on (or not going on) in the title.  All who took part in the debate agree there is very little action in the current run.  The debate began when we started discussing whether this hurt the story or not. 

At the time, since I wanted to make sure that I wasn't speaking out of the wrong side of my ass (what?) I did some technical analysis of the percentage of action scenes and the percentage of DD in costume that occurred in #113.

Here's a quick recap:

Daredevil #113:

There are 22 pages in the book.
Only 8 pages (36%) do we see Daredevil in his tights.
Only 5 pages (23%) do we see any DD action.

To not be out done by myself, once the debate started heating I decided to jump in further. I decided to take a good DD run (Guardian Devil, Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada) and put it to the MGYG action test. Here are the numbers:

Issue #1: 7 pages (32%)
Issue #2: 4 pages (18%)
Issue #3: 10 pages (45%)
Issue #4: 10 pages (45%)
Issue #5: 20 pages (91%!!)
Issue #6: 19 pages (86%)
Issue #7: 19 pages (86%)
Issue #8: 7 pages (32%)

That's an average of 54% of action for each comic book during this 8 issue run.

Compare this to the most recent 8 issues (excluding #114) of Brubaker's run:

Issue #106: 5 pages (23%)
Issue #107: 5 pages (23%), there was actually more action pages in the three page Moon Knight preview in the back of the comic.
Issue #108: 2 pages (9%)
Issue #109: 5 pages (23%)
Issue #110: 12 pages (55%) Yea!
Issue #111: 0 pages (00%) This is the "dirty dog" issue where Matt gets some action in bed, but nothing that is heroic by any means.
Issue #112: 0 pages (00%) Are you kidding me?
Issue #113: 8 pages (36%) The issue that started this debate.

That's an average of 21% of action for each comic book during this 8 issue run.

Clearly there's a difference. Now, I must reiterate, that I do not believe that the entertainment factor of reading a comic book can be predicted by the amount of action scenes.  There is no correlation between an increase in action scenes and an increase in entertainment value. We could point to comics in the 90's to demonstrate this. 

But we read superhero comic books for action. And I don't think I am going out on a limb to say that we read superhero comic books for, well, superheroes.

At the end of the #113 debate I looked to the future and stated:

I love the passion if (<-- nice typo Jon! so have been "of") us DD fans...it is truly great!  Wait until next issue!  We'll all be dying to rip in to one another. 

Well, the next issue is here. Let the ripping begin.

The most recent issue of Daredevil, #114, falls flat in the same ways the last several issues did. Please be aware, in order to talk about my displeasure with this issue I need to spoil some of the story!

SO DON"T READ ON IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!

First of all, the cover is pretty cool.  So I was excited to rip open the issue!  It shows DD ready to go toe to toe with some ninjas.  Finally!  Some action! 

Meh!

Nothing!  We don't even get to see DD in his DD tights.  And we see him in this much action...0!  In fact, there are only 4 pages of action.  But I digress...

Page one was actually pretty funny, as Matt's internal dialogue has him thinking he should just shun friends, family, etc. and live in a cave...but decides that doing that would only make him more crazy than he already is...more crazy like that Bat-fellow, who this was an obvious nod to.

So Matt is wondering why his wife has been given over to her parent's custody and is really being a little piss ant for the first 3 pages.  Foggy is doing his best to say, "Hey pal, chill out and let's figure this out" but Matt continues to be a dill hole.

Then we have 2 pages of the Black Tarantula, Iron Fist, and the new old guy (Master Izo), who apparently was Stick's teacher (ugh!).  Two pages of a conversation between two characters who are not on the cover of the book.  Now, I'm not saying this is all bad, but it is what it is.  And this isn't the end of these two.

Then it's back to Matt and Foggy meeting with Milla's parents and their attorneys.  One of the attorneys Matt thinks might be Lady Bullseye but isn't able to finish his thoughts on it.

We get four pages of this meeting and we find out that the parents know about Matt and Dakota North and their hanky panky.  And we get to see pictures of Matt and Ms. North and said hanky panky that a private investigator took while Matt and Dakota did the hanky panky right next to a window!

Now grant it, no way would Matt, a man with hypersenses, hear the heart beat of the person who was watching them.  Nor would he smell the person.  Nor would he hear the clicking and whirring of the camera as the P.I. snapped away pictures.  Nope.  None of that would happen.

Ugh!!!!!!

This is Daredevil Brubaker!  Start writing him using his senses!

Then we have three pages of action with the Blank Tarantula fighting some ninjas to help the White Tiger, who we thought died last issue.  But ultimately it looks like she was killed and brought back to life by the Hand, a la Elektra.  Oh...how original!

Then back to three more pages of Matt and Foggy head shots as they talk about why the hell Matt is a crazy lunatic and why he's holding on to Milla, his wife, while he is screwing around.  And Foggy finally gets some balls and tells Matt the what for.  Finally.  He's the biggest whipping boy the Marvel U. has ever seen.

Then two and a half pages of finding out the attorney for Milla's parents must really be Lady Bullseye in disguise. Because she kills some dude that was coming to tell her she wasn't following the plan. Blah blah blah.

Another page and a half of Iron Fist and the old dude.

And then the issue ends on Matt getting home and finding a high pitched audio wave device which messes with his senses that I had forgotten he even had for the last 15 issues because they have hardly made an appearance!  Argh! He breaks the device and then is confronted with a controlled Black Tarantula and a controlled White Tiger.

And the issue comes to an end with....TO BE CONTINUED....

Yawn!

Now, I know some of my blogging brethren will say that the plot really moves forward in this issue.  That we're getting to know more about Matt and what is happening with Milla.  That we are finding out how deep Lady Bullseye can take this.  Learning more about the Matt and Dakota relationship. Seeing Matt thrown under the bus one more time. 

But who gives a crap anymore.  A suspenseful plot can only be built up so long before it just isn't suspenseful anymore.

And I'm not saying don't do this stuff, this plot development, but do it faster man!  And I think that speaks for comic books in general anymore.  It takes them 6 months to tell a story that would have lasted an issue back in the day.  Seriously, go back and read Last Rites (#297-300).  Now that is some good comic book storytelling.  Suspense.  Plot.  Major character changes. And action.

I give this issue a 2 out of 10.  And that's being generous because it's Christmas and I'm in the giving mood.

I'll put this review another way.  If I wasn't a completist I'd be dropping this title.  Next month even.  But I'm a DD fanboy and will stick with him through thick and thin.  But this is definitely thin.

Oh!  And how do the numbers break down for this issue?

• Matt is in the book for 13 of the 22 pages (59%).
• Matt is in costume for 0 pages (0%).
• Other characters have a dominant role in this book 32% of the time when Matt isn't around.
• And there are only 4 action scenes (18%) and 0% of these action scenes have DD in them.

And as for the art.  I am really getting tired of this photo copied/tracing look.  And you really can't call it anything other than that.  Look at some of the backgrounds....still images from a camera with some Photoshop layers for color.  It's getting stale.

So that's it.  Let the blood letting begin.  I am sure people will have my head over this one.

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Comics, Daredevil, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I'm hard at work at the Daredevil #114 review.   In the mean time, I had to get this image up from DD #298.  It's a great Nick Fury/DD exchange.

I recently re-read the Last Rites four issue story that ran from DD #297-300.  Now that was a good Daredevil story.  Full of action.  Full of suspense.  Full of drama.  Full of some great art too.

Reading this story will not bode well for writing my review of #114 my friends.  Oh boy, I can hear me DD brethren putting their brass knuckles on for this one.  (And Francesco, make sure to fight fair this time, last time you kept biting! ;)

P.S. Like Fury couldn't use a good shrink from time to time.

Okay, back to writing the review...

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Comics, Daredevil, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Just wanting to to wish everyone a happy holidays.  Go enjoy it. 

Read some comics.  Watch some cartoons. 

Play some video games. 

Watch some movies.  Comic book movies to be sure!

Just enjoy.

Life is good for us geeks.

Merry, merry, Christmas!

And speaking of holiday stuff....who knew how right I was about the connection between Dr. Doom and Christmas?!  I mean, I am I good or what?

Want proof?  Here you go!

Now....10 bucks to anyone that can comment on what comic book this is from. 

Ten bucks!

Labels: Comics

Posted by Jon at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Want to see some secret sh*t that's for Nick Fury's eyes only?  Secret sh*t like this?

Okay, I don't know what's cool about that either.  But it's secret so it must be cool right?

We'll just have to let our resident Marvel expert pour over it and see what he can come up with.  Bart!  You're up!

Where did I find this wonderful secret stuff that was for Fury's eyes only?  Hmmmm....

I can't tell you since it's for his eyes only.  Um, that would be his "eagleeye".

Yep...."eagleeye".

Spelled, e-a-g-l-e-e-y-e.

Eagleeye.

Thought maybe you might want to check it out....but what do I know.

Oh yeah, eagleeye!

Labels: Comics, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Here is a great last minute gift idea for any comic book geek who in need of some career advice.

Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of "A Whole New Mind" and Rob Ten Pas (artist) bring to the masses the first career guide ever done in a graphic novel format.

The book is called, "The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need."

And it actually reads very well.

The story goes that Mr. Bunko was given all the normal advice that we all got in school and in our family life.  And it didn't pan out for him and he finds himself in a dead end job, not enjoying his career. And as a result, not finding much success in his career.

Along comes a magical mate to help him (and the reader)figure out how to get his life back on track.  She comes loaded with Six Lessons which will help Johnny figure out how to succeed in a career he will enjoy and most importantly, a career which will utilize his strengths as an individual.

The book works well.  I read through it in one sitting and it was enjoyable.  I was a little hesitant because I thought it might get preachy, but fortunately it read like a story, rather than a business book, which I am sure is what the author was going for.

So if you need a last minute gift for some geek on list, give this a shot! 

You can read the first 61 pages (!) here.

And make sure to check out the Johnny Bunko website which is dedicated, of course, to the book.

And, if I haven't prodded you enough to check this book out, you can also check out the pretty cool trailer they made as an advertisement.

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Comics

Posted by Jon at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

As Christmas approaches (yes, I can still say Christmas since I don't receive public funds) and the deluge of Christmas cards overtake our little sled Christmas card holder, I noticed a disturbing trend.  I don't know if this trend was new or just the first year I noticed.

Anymore people don't just send out Christmas cards with pictures of themselves or their kids on them, they also send out a letter to update everyone of what has happened over the last year.

This is fine I guess, as it is nice to find out what is going on with everyone.  But what annoys me each time is that people write them in the third person....Dr. Doom style.  I mean, do they want us to believe that they actually went out and hired a writer to record their history and condense it to one page for the holiday season?

And using "Dr. Doom" has a double meaning this year.  Not only is everything written in third person, but a lot of them were filled with doom-full news!  Nothing brings the holiday cheer quite like hearing that someone's life is really sucking!

I know it's probably to late to stop you from doing this for the 2008 holiday season but remember this tip for next year; there is nothing wrong with writing:

"I was also very fortunate to write this great blog called Me Geek, You Geek."

...instead of...

"Jon was also very fortunate to write this great blog called Me Geek, You Geek."

I envision that Dr. Doom's card would probably read something like this:

This is Victor von Doom:

This year has been a productive year for Doom.  Not only did Doom again defeat that accursed Richards, but Doom also is leading S.H.I.E.L.D, after taking over for the ill equipped Nick Fury. 

Many of you might have read that the wretched Norman Osborn was given this title, yet this was only a ploy set by Doom and Doom will quickly and easily manifest Doom-self as the true architect of Dark Reign.

Doom has many plans to carry out in 2009. Doom plans to dominate the entire world, no, the entire galaxy by Christmas 2009.

So enjoy this Christmas season.  For this is the last Christmas you will ever feel the joy of the season...or joy at all.  For next Christmas will truly be...

The Christmas of Doom!

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Dr. Doom

Labels: Comics, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

And here it is ladies and gentleman.  My Number One favorite Daredevil villain of all time!

Make sure you read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three first.

And the winner is.....

THE GLADIATOR!

I love this guy!  I really do.  In fact, one of my favorite gifts of all times was the Bowen Gladiator bust.

Now where do we start?

Melvin Potter.  His name doesn't exactly cause you to piss your pants with fear. 

Neither does the fact that he's a costume designer at the Spotlight Costume Shop.  As his wiki states:

"Potter is an accomplished clothing designer, proficient in drafting, design and sewing."

Oh!  Look out man!

How about the fact that he has no superhuman powers at all and is simply a good fighter with some metal armor?

Okay.  How about the fact that he likes to swings rotating saw blades at people?

Yea!  Now we're getting somewhere.

And how about the fact that he looks like this:

But besides that, what else does Mr. Potter have going for him that makes him my favorite Daredevil villain in almost DD's 45 year career?

I've always loved the fact that Melvin has struggled with right versus wrong.  Mind you, in the early days he didn't much care for right, but eventually he began to ponder life without crime and came to have a good relationship with Matt, someone he attempted to kill many times over.

He of course had his lovely Betsy at his side for most of the good time.  However, Betsy was his therapist once, so when choosing ethics vs. non-ethics, maybe ol' Bets isn't the best judge of character.

Melvin is simply lethal in his approach.  He has a "balls to the wall" style.  There isn't any real motivation for him other than anger, or other than having a mastermind point him in the direction of a hero and yell "Go Kill!"   He's been awfully misguided, awfully ill (mentally) and is a breeze to threaten to rage.

He's simply a no nonsense villain for a no nonsense hero. 

And there's nothing better than trying to attack some one with saw blades on your wrists!  I mean, wouldn't that suck if some one was coming at you with saw blades on his wrists?

And then throw in the concept of him wanting to do what is right here and there and you have a complex character.

You just get a sense with Potter that he will struggle with this good vs. evil persona for the rest of his career.  And you get a sense that each time, Daredevil will be there to not only defeat him, but to show some mercy as well.  Hell, often times, DD goes out and defends the sick bastard during his trial.

So here's to Melvin Potter; keep sharpening those saw blades, keep toiling away in therapy, and sooner, rather than later, start trying to kill old hornhead again.

Labels: Daredevil, Marvel Comics, Top 10 Lists

Posted by Jon at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

As I was going through the recent Marvel Previews to get my orders ready for the always kick ass mail order comic book website, Mailordercomics.com, I discovered the comic book covers themselves held some post-worthy ideas.

At least to me. 

So here I go.

(Click 'em to make 'em bigger!)

The "Worst-Camera-Angle-If-You're-A-Geek-Who-Is-A-Dude" Cover Of The Month

(Coincidentally, this is also the "Best-Camera-Angle-If-You're-A-Geek-Who-Is-A-Gal" Cover Of The Month.)

Black Panther #1 Variant

The "Cutest-Girl-With-The-Biggest-Gun" Cover Of The Month

Cable #11

The "I'm-So-Done-With-The-Secrets-Already" Cover Of The Month

Secret Warriors #1

The "Too-Bad-You-Deserve-It-D*ck-Head" Cover Of The Month

Invincible Iron Man #10

The "God-I-Miss-The-Original" Cover Of The Month

Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #8

The "Best-Rip-Off-Cover-While-Using-Deadpool" Cover Of The Month

Deadpool #7

The "Coolest Design" Cover Of The Month

Nova #22

The "She's-Hot-And-Has-Green-Lips" Cover Of The Month

X-Men: Kingbringer #3 (And yes there were two covers this month with gals with green lips...maybe more!)

The "Daredevil-Might-Be-Getting-Cool-Again-Since-Fatty-Is-Back" Cover Of The Month

Daredevil #116

The "Coolest" Cover Of The Month

Guardians of the Galaxy #10

That's a freaking racoon man!  How cool!

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Commentary, Daredevil, Marvel Comics, Top 10 Lists

Posted by Jon at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I just realized that I never did my top 4 of my Top 10 Favorite Daredevil Villains list.  Shite!

Make sure you read Part One and Part Two first.

#4 - The Jester

Jonathan Powers.  Jonathan is one character I've always wished would be written more seriously.  I've always wished some good writer would revamp him like Bendis did with the Purple Man.

Yes, he's been a joke most of his career, both his acting career and his criminal career, but something about him seems like it should be cool. Nothing is scarier than a clown/jester right?  They're always psychotic.

And yes, he seems to be the a poor man's Joker.  He's not maniacal enough.  Not a big enough psychopath.  But like I said early, if someone like Bendis would revamp him and make him Purple-Man-crazy he could be a great villain.

He's been able to throw some major set backs at DD and Foggy in particular.  He's been a part of some decent villain groups.  He's been around.  But nothing really stuck.  So he falls off most people's lists.

He's my Number 4 simply because this character comes off so cool in my head...if only he was handled as more of a threat.

(Although I was working on a one issue Tangled Web submission for Marvel a very long time ago with a "before-he-was-big" artist buddy (He soon after became big and left me in the dust ;) and even I fell victim to using The Jester as a nuisance instead of a viable villain.  Read part of the script right here.

So here's to you Jester!  Maybe some day you will get a shot to be a cool, psychopathic, child killing, blood loving villain. Until then you'll still kick ass to me!

#3 - Bullet

All credit for Bullet cracking my Top 3 goes to John Romita Jr.  I was really getting in to comics when JRJR and Ann Nocenti were kicking the hell out of DD in their famous Typhoid Mary run.

I was an impressionable comic book newbie and to this day credit these issues, this character, and JRJR's art, for igniting my love for all things Daredevil.

What I loved about Bullet is that he was the opposite from Matt in every way when it came to fighting.  He was just huge, lumbering and impulsive.  Where Matt is sleek, agile and cunning.  To see these two characters going at it (fighting!  Perv!) was simply beautiful.

Plus, Bullet had his boy around all the time and seemed to be trying to do the best he could (which wasn't that great) to take care of him.  Hey, his intentions were good.

So he cracks the Top 3 mostly for his visuals. And for this line:

"Shut your mouth Peacenik -- or I'll flatten you, too!"

Word!

#2 - Kingpin

You might be thinking that I have lost my marbles to not have put old fatty here at #1.  But I have not lost my mind, and I hope to prove this to you.

He's a great character.  He is.  Intelligent.  Lethal.  Unforgiving.  Fear inducing.  And until recently, one of the most powerful and richest dudes in the Marvel Universe.

But the thing that knocks him out of my #1 spot is he's not a DD exclusive villain.  In fact, he didn't show up in DD until #170, which in comic book terms is about 14 years!

He was created as a Spidey character, simple as that.

Now, eventually he became prominent I believe due to his "work" in the DD issues so that is what puts him at #2.  That, and the fact that he came in to power starting a spice company.  Who else can you say that about?

He's messed up DD's life more than once let me tell you. He's responsible for bringing Bullseye and Elektra into Daredevil's life, who of course have both mucked up DD's life pretty darn good. We all know Fisk's Daredevil exploits.  Man....bad ass.

And don't forget, he's coming back to the Marvel U soon!

Born again, anyone?

See you soon for my pick for #1!

Labels: Comics, Daredevil, Marvel Comics, Top 10 Lists

Posted by Jon at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

As I stated in this post I have scripted (for a blind submission) a Jester scene with Spider-Man.  I even get a little Daredevil dig in there at the end.

I thought I would share...

PAGE ELEVEN (5 panels):

Panel 1: Spidey is swinging from rooftop to rooftop on his way home.

CAPTION/PETER: WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?

CAP/PETER: I’M NO SHRINK, BUT WHAT HAPPENED BACK THERE WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING.

CAP/PETER: WHAT DID HE MEAN BY HE GETS CALLED NAMES TOO?

CAP/PETER: AT SCHOOL?

Panel 2: He is now on an uplift to get to the top of the nearest building.

Panel 3: Spidey has landed on the rooftop. He has paused for a moment

Panel 4: Same pose. Suddenly his spider sense is alarming him of danger.

Panel 5: Spidey is looking up and backwards trying to locate the reason for his spider sense going off.

SPIDEY: WHAT THE--!!

PAGE TWELVE (5 panels):

Panel 1: The Jester has pounced on Spidey, feet first. Spidey has is being knocked back from the blow.

SPIDEY: --UGH!

Panel 2: Spidey is recovering from the kick while the Jester is readying himself for any retaliation by Spidey.

JESTER: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.

JESTER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN.

JESTER: THE SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN. HA!

JESTER: AND THEY LAUGH AT ME?

Panel 3: Spidey is back to his feet. He is standing unprepared, he isn’t giving Jonathon much credit as a villain, and doesn’t seem to worried. Spidey should be dusting himself off.

SPIDEY: WHAT DO YOU WANT?

JESTER: YOU THINK IT’S THAT EASY DO YOU?

JESTER: “OH, IT’S JUST THE JESTER”, “NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.” RIGHT?

JESTER: WRONG.

Panel 4: Dead silence between them as they stand facing one another.

Panel 5: Still facing one another. Spidey’s stance makes him look annoyed by this. He would rather be at home in bed. The Jester is trying to be taken seriously.

SPIDEY: WHAT’D YA WANT POWERS?

PAGE THIRTEEN (6 panels):

Panel 1: Jester is now talking. Spidey is annoyingly listening.

JESTER: I’VE BEEN ORCHESTRATING THIS MEETING FOR QUITE SOMETIME.

JESTER: IT’S COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT YOU AND THAT DEVILISH HORN HEAD FRIEND OF YOURS HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN I PREVIOUSLY IMAGINED.

JESTER: I FINALLY REASONED THAT THE DEATH OF DAREDEVIL WILL BEGIN WITH YOU.

Panel 2: Silent panel again. Jester is waiting for a response from Spidey. Spidey should be looking down to the ground.

Panel 3: Spidey is looking back up to talk to Jester.

SPIDEY: UM…OK.

SPIDEY/CAP: GIVE ME A BREAK…I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS.

SPIDEY/CAP: WHAT DID WILL MEAN? DID IT HAVE TO DO WITH HIS DAD? THAT GUY GAVE OFF SOME SERIOUS BAD VIBE WHEN HE WALKED IN.

Panel 4: The next two panels will depict The Jester and Spidey standing on the roof. The Jester will be detailing his scheme, while Spidey, unconcerned with the Jester as a threat, is letting his mind wander on about Will. There should be a lot of room left in these panels due to a lot of text that will be inserted.

JESTER: “OK”? IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY BEFORE YOU‘RE FINAL BATTLE?

SPIDEY/CAP: WAS HE JUST UPSET THAT I WAS THERE?

JESTER: I HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT. IT WILL BE THE BEST PERFORMANCE OF MY LIFETIME. THE BEST PERFORMANCE IN HISTORY!

SPIDEY/CAP: THEY BOTH LOOKED SCARED WHEN HE CAME HOME.

JESTER: NOT ONLY WILL I BRING THE END OF THE SPIDER-MAN, BUT ALSO THE GREAT DAREDEVIL.

SPIDEY/CAP: DOES HIS DAD CALL HIM THE NAMES? IS THAT WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT?

JESTER: YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RESIST ME…I WILL EXPUNGE THE TRUTH, THE IDENTITY, OF THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR.

Panel 5: Same pose as panel five. Spidey should be in the same stance, while the Jester has his hands in the air and is looking to the sky as he is praising himself for his “great” scheme Need lots of open space for dialogue in this panel.

SPIDEY/CAP: LINDA SEEMED LEVEL HEADED. WOULD SHE LET THAT GO ON? DOES SHE KNOW?

JESTER: I WILL SULLY HIS NAME, DEMEAN HIS ASSOCIATES, LAY WASTE TO HIS FAMILY.

SPIDEY/CAP: SHE MUST…SHE WAS FREAKED OUT TOO.

JESTER: HE WILL COME TO ME, HIS LIFE IN SHAMBLES, BUT HE WILL NOT SUBMIT. NO, NOT DAREDEVIL. HE WILL FIGHT TO THE END LIKE NO OTHER.

SPIDEY/CAP: I DIDN’T SENSE ANY SORT OF DANGER FROM HIM THOUGH.

JESTER: AND THEN IT WILL END.

JESTER: THE DEATH OF DAREDEVIL. THE REVENGE OF THE JESTER!

SPIDEY/CAP: OH, WHAT THE HELL DO I KNOW? MAYBE DALE KNOWS SOMETHING. I’LL STOP BY TOMORROW.

JESTER: BUT YOU…YOU WILL TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO KNOW…OR DIE!

Panel 6: Close up on Spidey’s face. He is looking at the Jester who is off panel. His head is tilted due to the annoyance of the Jester.

PAGE FOURTEEN (5 panels):

Panel 1: We only see Spidey. He is annoyed.

JESTER(OP): PREPARE FOR DEFEAT..

SPIDEY: POWERS….

Panel 2: Just see Spidey’s arm extended. His middle two fingers are back on the web shooter trigger as we have seen in so many Spidey moments. He is aiming at the Jester, who is off panel. The webbing has just begun to spew out from the web shooter and we can still see the beginning of the webbing.

SFX: THWIP

Panel 3: See a close up of the Jester’s head and shoulders. The webbing is covering his mouth, but is still below his nose, and the webbing is still shooting at him. The Jester is startled.

SPIDEY(OP): …SHUT UP.

Panel 4: The Jester is running around with his hands up to his face trying to pull the webbing off. He is panicked. Spidey is standing there watching. His arm is out in the opposite direction and is shooting webbing again, this time to swing away.

JESTER: MMPPH….MMMPPHH…..UH CON’T BREEVE! UH CON’T BREEVE!

SFX: THWIP!

Panel 5: Spidey is swinging away, the Jester can be seen in the background still trying to peel the webbing off of his mouth.

SPIDEY/CAP: WONDER HOW LONG IT’LL TAKE THE MORON TO REALIZE HIS NOSE ISN’T COVERED?

SPIDEY/CAP: MAN…MATT NEEDS TO GET HIMSELF A MORE RESPECTABLE ROGUES GALLERY.

Well, there you have it.  My own contribution to the Jester mythos that you will never see published!

Labels: Comics, Daredevil, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

(What discussion am I talking about?  It starts here, then goes here, then to here, and to here, and then here. Woot!)

I need to set something straight before the end of this discussion as I respond to some of the excellent posts and comments which have come up from the beginning of all this.

Just so everyone knows, I have never actually counted how many action pages are in a comic book before this discussion began. My enjoyment of an issue does not begin or end with counting. But when I started the discussion about what seemed to me like lack of action I had to make sure that there was indeed, less action.

And we can now say with the page counts that there is less action in the last 8 issues. Good, bad, or otherwise, that is a fact.

That was the only reason for the page counting. I compare the page counting to watching the Celtics play. The last thing on my mind while I'm watching the game is statistics...I just watch and enjoy. But soon after the enjoyment of watching the game I'm more intrigued by reading the box scores and dissecting the game further. 

So I cringe when I see that I am being taken to task a bit for counting the action scenes.  I was simply expressing my concerns about the lack of action (which I think we all agree has been lacking) and wanted to back up my concern.

As for the debate whether Daredevil got his ass kicked by Lady Bullseye in Issue #113...I have said before that the comment I made was in jest. 

Part of Me Geek, You Geek is the tongue and cheekiness of it all. And again, after everything DD has put up with, all the way back to the Miller days and then the death of his true love, I think my quote still stands...

"But if somebody attacked me going by the same name of the butt munch who killed my lady, I'd see red, launch in to her and find out the connection to Lester after she was lying in a puddle on the rooftop.  But that's just me."

With any new villain you have to demonstrate that the character is a worthy opponent, or else why introduce the character at all. 

But, if I was trained like DD and had gone through a personal hell like he has, I would not let this happen...

...or this happen...

...or this...

...and hopefully not this...

So I'm expressing my need to see Daredevil go ape sh*t on somebody!  At some point!  Please?

(That was in jest again.)

We all seem to agree that the amount of action is very low. What we can't come to a consensus on is to what level that impacts our enjoyment of the story.

And like Christine said earlier, it might be a women vs. man thing since I want to see DD bust heads and she would rather have him be smart and use his head.

I love the passion if us DD fans...it is truly great!  Wait until next issue!  We'll all be dying to rip in to one another.

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Comics, Commentary, Daredevil, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

And this is my cheap shot for the night as I continue to work on a longer response to the DD action discussion....

I just had to.  Love you guys :)

(What discussion am I talking about?  It starts here, then goes here, then to here, and finally to here. Whew!)

Above panel taken from Daredevil #113.

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Comics, Commentary, Daredevil, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Fantastic image!  So much can be said in this one image.

I've been critical of Brubaker's run as of late.  But after seeing the cover of Issue #117 I think this reunion will make me happy.

Hopefully this image represents a storyline of DD having to resort to going to Fisk for help.  Selling his soul to the devil, if you will, to get through whatever is ahead.  And in doing so he will be responsible for bringing old fatty back to power....more power than he's ever had.

I can dream can't I?

(Oh....and I know, I know.  Wilson isn't fat, it's all solid.  I just like calling him fatty.  We role like that.)

(Oh....and starting in Issue #116, David Aja is the artist of Daredevil!  This David Aja!

Labels: Comics, Daredevil, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I ran across this article and thought it was pretty interesting. 

It got me thinking.  Comic books are our video games.  Would any of us be able to go a whole year without one comic book, graphic novel, trade paperback or webcomic?

Could you give up Wednesdays for twelve months?  Fifty-two Wednesdays in a row?

I know I couldn't. But kudos to this guy, who apparently found that he got a heck of a lot more done without his time wasting passion in his life.

Labels: Comic Blogs, Commentary

Posted by Jon at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This debate started here and has remained friendly and cordial. And that's because we all want some of Christine's chocolate billy clubs for Christmas!

Alright everyone I want to lead with this first.  Please don't misunderstand.  I have been a Daredevil fan for a long time.  Bart can vouch for me.  I have every Daredevil issue of the main title except for # 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7.  (My wife bought me #4 for Christmas one year...what a gem I have.) 

I have most every DD action figure proudly displayed in a showcase closet and every DD Bowen statue proudly displayed in a glass case.  I have a reprint canvas of DD #181 signed by Marv Wolfman.  And I have a DD thong that I wear every day. 

Okay, maybe that last part isn't true. 

Or is it?

I just wanted to point this out so you didn't think I'm some smug newcomer to the DD mythos.  I've been through the early years, the 90's, and I even stayed with him when he moved to San Francisco (ugh).

So with that in mind, here is more fodder for our debate.  I boned up on research and want to throw this in the mix.

Since my beef is not with the plot (I think we all agree the characterization and the story are good in Brubaker's run ) but with the lack of action or excitement or the lack of DD being in the book in costume very much at all.

So I went back to Issue #106 and started looking through why I was having a cow about the lack of action/costume scenes in Issue #113.  Certainly, if this was a one issue event and it was building plot I wouldn't be reacting this way.  But what I found was nothing but a one issue deal.

Here are the numbers for in costume/action pages:

1. Issue #106: 5 pages (23%)
2. Issue #107: 5 pages (23%), there was actually more action pages in the three page Moon Knight preview in the back of the comic.
3. Issue #108: 2 pages (9%)
4. Issue #109: 5 pages (23%)
5. Issue #110: 12 pages (55%) Yea!
6. Issue #111: 0 pages (00%) This is the "dirty dog" issue where Matt gets some action in bed, but nothing that is heroic by any means.
7. Issue #112: 0 pages (00%) Are you kidding me?
8. Issue #113: 8 pages (36%) The issue that started this debate.

So there you have it.  The last 8 issues from Brubaker.  Ugh.  Not much action or costume fun in store.  This is a comic book right? With superheroes and costumes and action?  Hmmm....  

Darediva (great name by the way), you didn't like Guardian Devil?  What?  Okay, I have to ask this then, if you don't mind.  Where you a DD fan for at least five years before DD:GD came out?  Because there is an historical nature that has to be appreciated as we DD lovers moved into the DD:GD arc.

We had to put up with some horrible DD stories for a while before the relaunch.  And the relaunch only came after the talks about simply canceling DD and being done with horn head for good.  The horrors. 

And I recently went back and reread the Guardian Devil trade and I think it stands to this day.  The talk between Matt and Peter, when Peter gets Matt off of the pity potty, that was a great DD moment. 

Karen Page died too!  And they haven't resurrected her.  And the issue following the death of Karen Page, with DD having flashbacks of her, those conversations were great and really cemented what could have been if she didn't swallow the billy club.  DD and Karen talking about how he would hang it up once they had kids. Great stuff. 

And the characterization of DD and the Black Widow throughout the run and especially after the funeral, what a great piece.

And since I am somewhat using this GD arc as a measuring stick for the current Lady Bullseye run, or Brubaker's run in general, I went back and did some research on the amount of costume/action scenes in the GD run.  The results are:

1. Issue #1: 7 pages (32%)
2. Issue #2: 4 pages (18%)
3. Issue #3: 10 pages (45%)
4. Issue #4: 10 pages (45%)
5. Issue #5: 20 pages (91%!!)
6. Issue #6: 19 pages (86%)
7. Issue #7: 19 pages (86%)
8. Issue #8: 7 pages (32%)

Wow.  You just look at these figures and think, that is how you pace a comic book run.  Start with some build up of story and characters.  Build suspense.  Build the action.  And then deliver.  Deliver through issues 5-7.  Reach the climax and then wrap it up and slow it down in the last issue.

And what impresses me about this run is that even issue #20, with 91% action/costume scenes, maintained characterization and plot progression.

If we compare the over all averages of costume/action scenes from these two 8 issue runs, Guardian Devil weighs in at 54% an issue, while the Bru run weighs in at 21% an issue. Quite the difference. 

Christine?  I love ya, please don't ban me from your site, I love reading your opinions and view points! And please (PLEASE!!!) still send me some chocolate billy clubs! 

Francesco, I accept your points.  When I was saying he got his ass kicked I was exaggerating.  Getting his ass kicked is like what he did in the Typhoid Mary issues....now that was an ass kicking!  I guess what I meant is that he was defensive, which might be a great virtue of a fighter/superhero.

But if somebody attacked me going by the same name of the butt munch who killed my lady, I'd see red, launch in to her and find out the connection to Lester after she was lying in a puddle on the rooftop.  But that's just me.

So what is my point?  I don't know.  Ha.  What is all of our points?  This is basically it: we all like DD for different reasons.  And for all these reasons he still kicks ass.

(And for all these reasons I will still pick it up.  If they change Daredevil to talking about interior decorating I will still pick it up.  it's the completist in me.)

Now, not to be outdone, here is a response from sometimes contributor, and all time reader, Bart.  I think he has some good points regarding the progression of all comics lately:

Hello...Jon:

Just read your latest post.  I have to agree with you completely.  And, I believe your commentary can be applied to the entire Marvel Universe.  All build up, no pay off. 

Case in point....Secret Invasion.  Seven issues of build up where we are led to believe Skrulls had completely overrun the Earth.  One issue of battle where a 2 minute skirmish in NYC utterly and completely defeats every skrull on Earth?

Example 2....World War Hulk.  Months of build up, then Zom, then 12 splash pages of the Sentry, then we're done.  Zom? (Did you catch the Zom skrull in the Captain Britain comic during the Secret Invasion?)

Example 3....Every thing Bendis does.  In his latest interviews Bendis has been saying that everything that's been happening lately, all the super-advertised cross-overs one after the other, are all build up for what's to come.  Secret Invasion finally gets here after years of build up.  After waiting patiently we find Secret Invasion itself is 7 issues of build up followed by one completely forgettable issue of battle.

(The rant changes from a discussion on build-up to a general rant on everything wrong with Marvel...........again)

Dark Reign?  Really?  C'Mon!  Its already been done.  Does anyone remember the villains all getting together back in the late 80's during one of the industry's first multibook cross-overs?  Bonus points to anyone who can put a name on what I'm talking about. 

The exasperating thing about Bendis is that when you read any random issue, the issue itself is pretty good.  So you don't know you're in for a complete shellacking until months down the road when you look back on the entire storyline and weep over how much money you've spent on comics over the last year.

I'm coming to believe comics are like a drunken vacation to Vegas.  You drop your money down, but the industry odds are always stacked against a big pay-out for you!

What do you think?

P.S.  First Captain America, and now the Wasp.  How long before Bendis announces his new book "The UnDead Avengers".  The Avengers book where dead members from the past arise from the grave and zombie-out as they fight crime.  Of course this will lead into the mini series Marvel Zombies 18 and a cross-over with Army of Darkness.  REMEMBER, you heard it here first!

Excelsi....ah, %^$#$# it! I'm out!

Bart

I'm out too!

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Comics, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I only do this because I don't have an NBA blog, I love the Celtics, what they're doing again this year is amazing (21-2!) and because last year I posted about the great start they were having and they went on to win the championship for me. 

Yes...for me.  It was in my honor.

So since this is a tradition now you will just have to put up with a little jock with your geek.  Don't worry though, I'm waist deep in a response to the DD debate.

Go Celtics!

Labels: Blogging

Posted by Jon at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Recently Christine and I have been playfully going back and forth regarding the status of Daredevil's main title. 

While we have been chiding each other regarding disagreeing I had yet to put my foot in to the ring.

Same as always, I was throwing out words with no back up.  I was the guy standing behind his two muscular buddies, yelling at their adversary, knowing he was well protected.

(Bart can attest to how clever I am with this technique from our childhood.)

So wanting to right this wrong, I grabbed the most recent issue of Daredevil (#113, Part 3 of the Lady Bullseye storyline) and sat down for a second read through. 

The following is my reasons for why this issues does not score more than a 5.5 in my opinion.

First let me hit you with some numbers:

1. There are 22 pages in the book.
2. Only 8 pages (36%) do we see Daredevil in his tights.
3. Only 5 pages (23%) do we see any DD action.

Now let me break it down for you even further:

1. There are 120 panels in the book.
2. Only 29 panels (24%) do we see DD in his tights.
3. Only 16 panels (13%) do we see any DD action.

The action that we do see, DD get's his ass handed to him and has to have this old fuddy duddy come and rescue him at the end.  The action we do see consists of him getting kicked, hit, blocked and thoroughly trounced with no consequences.  I am well aware that a character needs to stagger a bit, especially DD, but my word, since when did he became such a pansy?

And this issue has more action in it than the last several issues.  I think #110 showed DD in costume for one page.  Yikes!  (Note: I might be wrong with issue number, but I remember getting done reading a recent issue and flipping back through it to see if DD was even in it.)

What Brubaker does well is set up.  I agree with that.  And he keeps layering on setup, with new characters, new situations, new plot. But I am done with set up.  This is Part 3 for crying out loud.  If we're going to accept this Lady B. as a worthy adversary, she needs to go toe to toe with DD for half an issue.  Not 13% of an issue.  Half an issue!

This is my biggest gripe about the Brubaker run.  DD sees very little action.  And by action I don't mean "action".  Although, it seems like he goes from woman to woman and gets more horizontal action than any  good old fighting action.  So I guess he is lucky in that regard.

So, all you DD lovers, and you dear Christine, this is my beef.  Too much setup, too little excitement.  Now, in all honesty, I would much rather have what we had in #113, than just mindless jumping around and fighting, a la the early 90's.  But you know what I'm saying....

Will this change next issue?  I can only hope.

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

So we have a Lady Bullseye trying to take out Daredevil.  Now we have a Lady Black Panther.

All these new ladies got me to thinking about all the knock off female characters that have been sighted over the years.

Let's take a look at all the other lady versions of heroes/villains.

On Marvel's side:

Spider-Woman.  Spider-Girl. She Hulk.  She-Thing (yes....She-Thing!)  Jocasta.  Hell, even the most recent return of Ultron was of the boob wielding variety! We also have Ms. Marvel. Namorita. I'll even throw in Red Sonja for good measure.  And She-Venom?  Then there's Thor Girl.  And even though the name isn't Wolverina, we can still include X-23.

On DC's side:

Batgirl. Supergirl.  Batwoman.  Superwoman.  Mary Marvel.  Hawkgirl.  Jesse Quick.  Aquagirl. And even Bulletgirl!  Harley Quinn anyone?

And let us not forget!  She-Ra and She-Dragon!

Any I forgot?  Bart?

Chicks!  You gotta dig 'em!

Labels: Comics, Commentary, DC Comics, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Alert!  For all you comic book bloggers out there!

I just ran across a program called Dark Room (free) which I have to tell you about.  In fact, this is the first actual post that I am writing in Dark Room and I'm really loving it.

Dark Room is the most stripped down word processor you will ever use.

If you're like me, writing a blog can take some time.  Although there is no correct way to write, I tend to "vomit" whatever is on my mind on to the screen and then go back and do a read through and change what needs to be changed. I find this is the best way to say what I want in my own voice and get the initial concept out while I'm at my creative peak.  I don't like sitting and editing as I go; it burns up my creative juices.

Before Dark Room I used Microsoft's Live Writer to compose my blog posts.  But while I write I am easily distracted by anything else going on in the background of my computer.  E-mails popping up, new blog posts from my RSS reader, instant messaging, you name it, it distracts me.

Dark Room presents you with, you guessed it, a dark screen.  Black in fact.  The only thing else on the screen is your text.  No menus, toolbars, or other clutter that just gets in the way.

Your text comes up as green text, although this can be changed in the settings menu.  I love the green text though as it reminds me of the old computers from elementary school.  Remember the blinking box for entering text in green or orange?  No?  Well, screw you, you young turd!

The only thing it does not do is allow you to enter pictures, blog formatting, or links.  So you have to copy/paste and add that stuff later.  It also does not have a built in spell checker, but since you should be using tinyspell by now that won't matter.  (If you aren't using tinyspell, what the hell are you waiting for?  It works on anything you are typing, across programs.)

I love this Dark Room program.  Of course, for simple posts I'll just use Writer since not much thinking has to be done, but for the longer, thought provoking posts, Dark Room is for me!

And while I am on the topic of new tools that help with comic book blogging, I might as well post about the other online tools that will most certainly help you blog more easily and successfully. 

So, until I get the next post up...

Labels: Blogging

Posted by Jon at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

There was a time where I was jazzed about the whole Savage Dragon deal.  I went on eBay and bought the entire run, which was about 100 comics at the time.  When they arrived I sat down in front of the pile and started with the mini's and on to the regular series and truly thought I was in retro comic book heaven.

But after several issues I realized what I had gotten myself into.  And that's not meant to disrespect Erik Larson, it just wasn't what I expected when I plopped down my greenbacks.

So when I read the headline "Larsen on Savage Dragon, Daredevil" I jumped out of my chair!  "Woot!", I thought!  This will be a fun little one shot.  Some SD & DD if you will.

I eagerly clicked over to CBR.com and found this:

Oh....That Daredevil!  What a bunch of crapola!

Here's a quote for Larsen:

I thought of the early Dragon as being very much aligned with that sort of Miller Daredevil mentality. So when I'm sitting there doing this, I go, 'Wouldn't it be cool to bring in Daredevil.' And I can't bring in Marvel's Daredevil, but I can bring in this public domain Golden Age Daredevil.

See here...is that right?  Anyone can use the old DD huh?  I guess I found the new MGYG mascot!

There are some other quotes about DD and Frank Miller in the article, so take a read for yerself.

Labels: Comics, News

Posted by Jon at 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I was reading the latest issue of a certain comic book magazine and quickly came to the conclusion that I was wasting my time.  Incidentally, the subscription renewal form had come in the mail about two weeks before and was still sitting on my desk.  And incidentally again, the renewal form went through the shredder.

As I was reading through the mag (and this happens with all the mags and all the big comic book news websites) I kept feeling the sensation of vomit coming up the back of my throat.  What I was reading was a bunch of crap!

What do I mean?  Well get this.  Imagine if you were a Martian and you are landing on Earth for the first time.  As you're walking around you come across a comic book magazine and start reading.  You would think, from what you read, that every comic book available is the best comic book ever. 

But not all comics are great.  On the contrary, most comics that come out on a monthly basis kinda blow.  You can count on your extremities the number of books that should receive such glowing praise, but going through this magazine they were painting the picture that all these comics were the cats meow. 

One of my on going concerns about Me Geek, You Geek is that I am often way too cynical, which not only defeats the enjoyment of the books, but quite possibly decreases readers of comic books.  That is a concern from a fan.

And I do this for free (kinda) so I don't have a huge financial stake in the success of comic books.  However, the comic book news sites and magazines have their entire earnings teetering on the success of the comic book publishing business.  And let's face it, comics aren't as popular as they once were. 

So do the mags and sites give only glowing accounts of comics to help increase excitement for the industry or just to make sure they can keep getting access to creators and companies?  I don't know.

I do know that the blogs who are honest about the comic books they discuss wouldn't have access to the companies.  Do you think anyone at Marvel would want to allow me access after my blasting the wrap up of Secret Invasion?  Doubt it, even though I was glowing over the first two issues (which I honestly loved!).

So, to my untrained eye, comic book blogs are the best only way to get unbiased, honest and raw reviews/news about comic books.  (Plus, they're free!)

And I love this model of news getting.  Bottom-Up!  We at the bottom, as a collective, filter what is most important, best, worst, and otherwise.  Not by what an editor or company picks for us to think is important, best, worst or otherwise, but rather, what WE decide is important, best, worst or otherwise.

So from this one comic book blogger to all my fellow comic book bloggers....

...keep on keepin' on!

Apparently Wonder Woman agrees with me.  What do you guys and gals think?

Labels: Blogging, Comic Blogs

Posted by Jon at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

You may know this, you may not, but old hornhead is my favorite comic book character.  And while it's true that he does not get enough love here on MGYG, I do make sure that I am following all the other great DD blogs. Which do a better job of talking DD than I can (probably since I have not been satisfied with the Brubaker run and come off sounding like a peeved off, scorned ex-lover).

But, if you're looking to stay up to date on all the DD related news, reviews, previews, etc, make sure to subscribe to Christine's fantastic Daredevil Feed! 

You can be as lazy as you always are and still know everything about the best blind superhero who uses a billy club and has a first name of Matthew in the history of comics!

Here's the feed, so add it to your RSS reader subscription lists:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/The_Daredevil_Feed

And here's a hearty THANK YOU to Christine! 

And no Christine, I am not just buttering you up for our upcoming throw down regarding the status of the recent DD title.... ;)

Labels: Comic Blogs, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Damn.  I just got done reading Secret Invasion #8.  The finale.  The, if you'll allow, the Coup de Grace.

Ouch.  Bendis my man.  What happened?

I so want MGYG to be all about discussion of the great events, stories, characters, creators that are in comics today.  But my word, it's a difficult task lately.

I loved Secret Invasion #1, #2 and Mighty Avengers #12 (which was basically Secret Invasion # 1.5).  But then #4 happened and it was all down hill from there...down, down, down, to Dark Reign.

I read all the reviews on Secret Invasion #8 from all the different sites and I tend to agree with them, so I won't retread plot reviews here.  But here is my beef that I hadn't seen pointed out:

SPOILERS!!! 

These two mug shots are taken from the same splash page panel that was shown after the Wasp was killed. So do you think these two guys would really care if a skrull killed the Wasp?  I mean really, we're talking about Osborn and Bullseye here.  They aren't even characters who would get caught up in the moment and just be pissed because skrulls killed a human.  So the characterization in this panel was way the hell off.  Which Bendis tends to do a lot...

Oh yeah, and all the characters who were being portrayed by Skrulls?  The ones we thought might be dead and gone.  Well...they were just on a ship hanging out.  They're back now.  All doing fine.  All in about 3 panels.

The only saving grace that I can find in this issue, in this series, is that Jessica Jones and Power Fist's baby seems to have been taken.  That's a pretty cool thing.  It has potential for a story in the future.

Oh, and the POTUS disbanded S.H.I.E.L.D and put Osborn in charge of the Avengers, 50 State Initiative, etc.....lame.  C'mon now.... And the worst thing is that Marvel doesn't even tease it...they go straight to Dark Reign.  A cool story would have been to let Norman put on a good show for a while (a year) and have some back story develop, a la Lex Luther being the POTUS in the DC world a while back.  But no...next month he starts being a creep already.

Who would have known?

So the only thing I got out of Secret Invasion?

Carrot Sticks!

Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Commentary, Marvel Comics

Posted by Jon at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post